A chance discovery of some kelp that floated for 20,000km before washing up on an Antarctic beach has opened up a new chapter in our understanding of the currents that swirl around the Southern Ocean.
Since 1995, several ice shelves off the Antarctic Peninsula have abruptly disintegrated. A new analysis suggests that these events are triggered when ice shelves lose their buffer of floating ice.
The pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata, at sea.
Robert Pitman
Japan’s fleet is on its way to the Southern Ocean for more “scientific” whaling. But a new resolution pointing out the importance of whale poo could help remove Japan’s rationale for lethal research.
The Balleny Islands off East Antarctica - one of the many stops along the way.
Krudller/Wikimedia Commons
Why spend three months completing a lap of Antarctica (and probably getting seasick along the way)? It’s the only way to get vital clues about the remote Southern Ocean and its influence on the planet.
Britain’s industrial pioneers couldn’t have known how they would affect the climate.
Henry Gastineau
The first signs that humans were warming the climate appeared much earlier in the northern hemisphere - way back in the 1830s. But now the trend is emerging all over the globe.
South Africa’s oceans offer numerous economic opportunities, if ocean acidification is dealt with properly.
Shutterstock
Louis Celliers, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
South Africa has the opportunity to benefit from its ocean economy. But to do that, the country needs to put better policies in place to counter ocean acidification.
Things got very wet, very quickly, in Brisbane in 2011.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
Since 1999, Australia has swung between drought and deluge with surprising speed, because El Niño has fallen into sync with similar patterns in the Indian and Southern Oceans.
Rough conditions in the Southern Indian Ocean as the search for MH370 continues.
Australian Transport Safety Bureau/John Draves
There are hopes that another piece of the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 has been found. But authorities still don’t know what happened to the aircraft, and the 239 people on board.
CSIRO has contributed to surprising discoveries in climate science. Pictured here is the research ship RV Investigator.
AAP Image/University of Tasmania
By 2050, 99% of the world’s seabird species will be accidentally eating plastic, unless we take action to clean up the oceans. And some of the highest risk to wildlife is in the Southern Ocean off Australia.
The Great Southern Reef is unique, beautiful and contributes significantly to Australia’s culture and economy. However, few of us realise the magnitude and value of this gem right at our doorstep.
T. Wernberg 2002
These tiny organisms play a big role in regulating the Earth’s climate.
Breaking the ice: while scientists increasingly understand why Antarctic sea ice is growing, it remains tricky to forecast.
Australian Antarctic Division
Antarctica’s sea ice is changing in ways that scientists didn’t predict, and is now causing headaches for Antarctic stations.
A US Coast Guard icebreaker cuts a swathe through the icy the Southern Ocean earlier this year, on its way to rendezvous with a stricken fishing vessel.
Allyson Conroy/US Coast Guard/Wikimedia Commons
On the eve of a summit in Chile to discuss the protection of marine life in Antarctic waters, much still needs to be done to guard against overfishing, climate change and other threats.
Policing toothfish is not as straightforward as Sea Shepherd would like it to be.
AAP Image/Australian Customs
This morning, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessels leave port to pursue a new campaign in the Southern Ocean — but this time, it’s not all about whales. Operation Icefish will target vessels fishing…
Catch from Japan’s previous whaling program. The new program will kill fewer whales.
EPA/TIM WATTERS / SEA SHEPHERD
This week, Japan announced a research plan for its New Scientific Whale Research Program in the Antarctic Ocean, to replace previous programs. In March this year, Japan’s previous whaling program, JARPA…